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Cities Use Sticks, Carrots to Rein In Gangs

Two-Pronged Method Includes Community Pressure and Analytics Software

By

William Harless

Oct. 14, 2013 7:39 p.m. ET

STOCKTON, Calif.—Police in some cities are trying a two-pronged approach to tackle high homicide rates: community pressure to shame gang members and analytics software to help arrest the ones who continue to offend.

In the first step of a policing method known as Ceasefire, young people with prior gang-related charges are brought into meetings, known as call-ins, where police, district and federal prosecutors, social workers and community members show them the harm their violence has caused. The offenders are offered...